Michael Johnson

Michael Hyon Johnson is a half black, half South Korean Air Force veteran and writer/director. He's produced award winning narrative short films, music videos, and branded content and is the co-founder of the video production company Story Mode.  ​ Michael's work focuses on characters from lower income families, mixed race protagonists, and ensemble casts navigating uncomfortable conversations and difficult themes.  Michael earned a MFA from Chapman University and is the winner of the M Film Lab 2022 Spring program. His winning short screenplay, Black Metal  tackles a coming-of-age story of a African-American pre-teen and his desire to perform as a metal musician in a conservative town in Colorado. Black Metal is currently in production with support of Open Screenplay.   He was also selected as a mentee the Netflix Animation Foundation's writing program, the Writer’s Guild Foundation’s: Veteran’s Writing Project;  and is a VME - AT&T Veterans Media Fellow.